Chapter 114: Return to the Northeast

Seeing that Master Huiming was truly incensed, Xuhua quickly knelt on one knee. "Master, please calm your anger. This man is just like that by nature; do not lower yourself to his level. Let him finish what he has to say."

Zhou Yi’s throat was already parched, and since Mount Wutai had not offered him any tea, he swallowed hard. Seeing a statue of the Tathagata Buddha enshrined in the place of honor in the reception room, with apples placed on the altar table, he walked over, picked up an apple, and began to eat.

"Zen Master Huiming, I once thought of you as an enlightened monk, but it seems you, too, cannot escape the lure of fame and profit. You surely know better than I what kind of person Zhang Zuozheng is—he is Zhang Xun’s nephew. I assume a Zen Master like you does not spend his life solely in prayer, deaf to the affairs of the nation?"

Zen Master Huiming pondered this for a moment before asking, "Do you have proof for what you say?"

Zhou Yi took another bite of the apple and mumbled, "Jiechen of Shaolin knows the whole story, and Xuhua does too; the two of them even brawled over it in the capital. You can just ask Xuhua."

Zen Master Huiming closed his eyes and carefully recalled what Zhou Yi had said. After a long silence, he opened his eyes and said, "Namo Amitabha. Mount Wutai will certainly get to the bottom of this. If you have spoken even a single lie, I shall personally descend the mountain to find you and make you face the wall at Mubi Cliff for a hundred years. You may go!"

Zhou Yi chuckled and said with a lowered head, "Baldy Xuhua, I’m off then. Next time we meet, I’ll treat you to drinks and meat." With a hearty laugh, he turned and left.

He found Princess Fu, who was playing with Xunfeng alongside Xiaocui. Upon seeing Zhou Yi, Xunfeng let out a yelp and leapt into his arms.

Zhou Yi pushed Xunfeng aside and turned to the two women. "The business here is finished. Princess, are you coming with me?"

Princess Fu smiled slightly, revealing two shallow dimples. "What is there to do on Mount Wutai? Let’s go!"

The three of them packed their bags—though there was little to pack, as Princess Fu only had a small bundle containing two changes of clothes.

Once ready, they descended the mountain. Zhou Yi wanted to go to Dunhua to see how the child was faring, but he was preoccupied with the whereabouts of Baozi and Muchen. He decided he should find them first.

"Where are we headed?" Princess Fu asked. They were traveling eastward, which was not the route back to the Northeast.

"To the town ahead. We’ll buy a carriage," Zhou Yi replied over his shoulder.

"There’s no need; we can walk," Princess Fu said, though she was secretly delighted and only feigned refusal.

Zhou Yi just gave a knowing grin and said nothing.

After an hour of silence, they arrived at a town. It happened to be market day, and all necessities were available. Zhou Yi glanced at his own attire, curled his lip, and led Princess Fu and Xiaocui into a clothing store.

Zhou Yi originally intended to just buy a simple tunic, but Princess Fu insisted on buying him two Zhongshan suits.

After putting on the suit, Zhou Yi stood before a mirror, feeling as though his neck was being strangled. "This garment is no good; it’s choking me."

Princess Fu covered her mouth to hide a smile. "Just unbutton the top two buttons, then."

Following her advice, Zhou Yi unbuttoned the top. Worn this way, the ordinary Zhongshan suit did not make him look old-fashioned; instead, it lent him an air of unrestrained, dashing charm.

When the three emerged from the town, Zhou Yi looked like a completely different person. His hair was trimmed, his clothes were changed, and if not for the Lihuo Water-Splitting Daggers tucked at his waist and the faint hint of roguishness on his face, he would have looked like a dashing young scholar.

However, as the carriage reached the edge of town, Zhou Yi saw the child